Arab Commission for Human Rights
Encyclopedia
The Arab Commission for Human Rights ( / / ACHR) is an Arab world
non-governmental human rights
organisation that was founded in 1998.
non-governmental organisation founded on 17 January 1998 by 15 human rights activists from around the Arab world
, that bases its work in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESC), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR). The ACHR claims to avoid any political affiliation. The ACHR aims to cover all human rights as being divisible in order to avoid the "western" vision of organisations of the "North" which limit their human rights advocacy to "arbitrary detention, judicial supervision, enforced disappearances
, and torture
."
.
spoke at a United Nations
event in Geneva
on behalf of the Arab Commission for Human Rights. Algeria complained that Mesli had been charged with terrorism in 1999, and on 26 January 2009, representatives from the United Kingdom
, Egypt
, Sudan
, Qatar
and Algeria
, along with other states, voted 18 to 0 (plus 1 abstention) to suspend the ACHR from the United Nations Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC).
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
non-governmental human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organisation that was founded in 1998.
Founding
The Arab Commission for Human Rights is a human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
non-governmental organisation founded on 17 January 1998 by 15 human rights activists from around the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
, that bases its work in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
(UDHR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976...
(ICESC), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
(ICCPR). The ACHR claims to avoid any political affiliation. The ACHR aims to cover all human rights as being divisible in order to avoid the "western" vision of organisations of the "North" which limit their human rights advocacy to "arbitrary detention, judicial supervision, enforced disappearances
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
, and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
."
Leadership
The ACHR has a 15-member Board of Directors led by President Violette Daguerre from Lebanon. The Board includes Tunisian human rights activist Moncef MarzoukiMoncef Marzouki
Moncef Marzouki is a Tunisian human rights activist, politician and physician.-Education and early human rights activities:Born in Grombalia , Marzouki studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg...
.
2009 suspension from United Nations Economic and Social Council
In June 2008, Algerian human rights lawyer and activist Rachid MesliRachid Mesli
Rachid Mesli is an Algerian human rights lawyer and activist, now living in exile in Geneva. He is a founding member of Justitia Universalis and Rachad....
spoke at a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
event in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
on behalf of the Arab Commission for Human Rights. Algeria complained that Mesli had been charged with terrorism in 1999, and on 26 January 2009, representatives from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, along with other states, voted 18 to 0 (plus 1 abstention) to suspend the ACHR from the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
(ECOSOC).